It is not necessarily the case that a monk will see ghosts or the other realms of existence. But when one's perceptions become more refined through meditative practice then a natural result may be to have increasing perception of such things. There are some practices that are particularly known for developing this, and working with it, such as the practice of Cho, which most lineages trace back to Padampa Sangye and Machig Labdron. The cycles of practice connected to Cho are not only for monks, but for yogis who may be householders or full time practitioners who practice the inner vows primarily, not the full vinaya related to outward conduct. One interesting article on Cho can be found here: http://www.dharmafellowship.org/library/essays/chod.htm

Contentment is the ultimate wealth;Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha

http://cttbusa.org/shurangama/shurangama30.asp”When they have seventy percent emotion and thirty percent thought, they fall beneath the wheel of water into the regions of fire, where they come into contact with steam which is itself like a terrible blaze. In the bodies of hungry ghosts, they are constantly burned by that fire. Even water harms them, and they have nothing to eat or drink for hundreds of thousands of kalpas. 7:112

http://cttbusa.org/shurangama/shurangama31.asp"And then, Ananda, after the living beings who have slandered and destroyed rules and deportment, violated the Bodhisattva precepts, slandered the Buddha’s Nirvana, and created various other kinds of karma, pass through many kalpas of being burned in the inferno, they finally finish paying for their offenses and are reborn as ghosts. 7:161

”If greed for material objects was the original cause that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters material objects, and he is called a strange ghost. 7:162”If it was greed for lust that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters the wind, and he is called a drought-ghost. 7:163”If it was greed to lie that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters an animal, and he is called a mei ghost. 7:164”If it was greed for hatred that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters worms, and he is called a ku poison ghost. 7:165”If it was greed for animosity that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters degeneration, and he is called a pestilence ghost. 7:166”If it was greed to be arrogant that made the person commit offenses, then after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters gases, and he is called a hungry ghost. 7:166”If it was greed to be unjust to others that made the person commit offenses, then after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters darkness, and he is called a paralysis ghost. 7:168”If it was greed for views that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters essential energy, and he is called a wang-liang ghost. 7:168”If it was greed for deception that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters brightness, and he is called a servant ghost. 7:170”If it was greed to be litigious that made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he takes shape when he encounters people, and he is called a messenger ghost. 7:171”Ananda, such a person’s fall is due to his totally emotional level of functioning. When his karmic fire has burned out, he will rise up to be reborn as a ghost. This is occasioned by his own karma of false thinking. If he awakens to Bodhi, then in the wonderful perfect brightness there isn’t anything at all. 7:173

PARABLE 029:CULTIVATION (MIND EMPTY & STILL)Once upon a time there was a Zen monk who practiced in a deserted mountain area."Lonely and isolated, he had a deluded thought, wishing to have some fellow monks practicing along with him to make life more bearable. Immediately, an old woman appeared from nowhere, leading two beautiful young girls by the hand, who, she said, lived in the village down in the valley. They had come to seek guidance in the Way. The monk, unsuspicious, immediately gave a Dharma talk to the group. One day, after many such visits over a period of time, the old woman respectfully requested that the two girls be allowed to become attendants to the monk and relieve him of his daily chores. The monk, hearing this, became suspicious. He reprimanded the old woman severely and refused the offer. The three women left, looking angry and ashamed.

The monk, intrigued, followed them discreetly until they disappeared around a bend in the road. When he reached the spot, he found it was a dead end with no habitation or anything else around, except for three very old trees, one big tree and two smaller ones. He thought it over and realized that he had been 'tested.' A fleeting thought occurred to him, that he should cut down the trees, start a bonfire, and burn them to the ground. At that moment, the three women reappeared, repentant, begging him to forgive them and spare their lives.

Therefore, the cultivator should remember: when the mind is still, all realms are calm; when delusion arises, demons are born."

PARABLE 056:GHOST STORY (SAMADHI)"Zen Master Nan-Ch'uan was meditating in a hut next to a river. One night he heard two ghosts conversing. One of them was rejoicing that his term was coming to an end because the next day someone would be replacing him. The second ghost asked, 'Who will be replacing you?' He replied, 'A man wearing an iron hat.' The master wondered to himself who this person could be. The next day there was heavy rain and the river rose to a higher level. The master looked out of his hut and saw a man about to cross the river. He had covered his head with a wok (a bowl-shaped cooking utensil) for protection against the rain. Immediately, the master knew that this was the man of the iron hat, so he cautioned him saying, 'Don't cross the river today. It's too dangerous.' The man asked, 'Why?' 'Because the water is very deep and running rapidly.' The man listened to the old monk's advice and returned home. You must understand that in Chinese lore, water ghosts are prisoners until another person drowns and takes their place. That night as he was meditating, the master heard the two ghosts again. This time the first ghost was complaining, 'I have been stuck here for so many years, and I thought my chance for freedom had finally come. But now the old monk interfered and messed everything up. I'll show him what I can do.' Upon hearing this exchange, the master immediately entered samadhi. He saw the demons enter, exit and go around his hut, as if searching for someone. However, thanks to the fact that his mind in samadhi was empty and still, 'not influenced by the environment, no longer tied to mental objects,' the demons could not see him. Discouraged, they finally left."

An explanation always comes in handy but it seems to me that Tempuserus has important issues that need to be dealt with immediately and does not have the luxury, right now, of explanations. Reminds me of the parable with the guy that has been shot in the eye by a poisoned arrow, apply the remedy now, ask questions later!

That said, a quick web search will turn up a tonne of explanations. Essentially during the clapping phase the left hand symbolises wisdom, the right hand method and bringing them together (while visualising the obstacle/demon/ghost between thm) dissolves the problem into its basic nature (emptiness) which is the basic nature of all phenomena anyway (as explained in the sutra). Method and wisdom lead to the realisation of emptiness and the end of suffering.

Even more basically: emptiness cannot harm emptiness! No perpetrator of harm, no victim of harm, no action of harm.

gregkavarnos wrote:An explanation always comes in handy but it seems to me that Tempuserus has important issues that need to be dealt with immediately and does not have the luxury, right now, of explanations. Reminds me of the parable with the guy that has been shot in the eye by a poisoned arrow, apply the remedy now, ask questions later!

That said, a quick web search will turn up a tonne of explanations. Essentially during the clapping phase the left hand symbolises wisdom, the right hand method and bringing them together (while visualising the obstacle/demon/ghost between thm) dissolves the problem into its basic nature (emptiness) which is the basic nature of all phenomena anyway (as explained in the sutra). Method and wisdom lead to the realisation of emptiness and the end of suffering.

Even more basically: emptiness cannot harm emptiness! No perpetrator of harm, no victim of harm, no action of harm.

How's that for a crash course in Nagarjunas Madhyamika praxis?

Pithy!

Yes, there is also a the reminder of impermanence and of course overwhelming compassion.